Arizona State’s preseason camp produced a few clear standouts, and two names kept coming up for all the right reasons: Tristan Bacon and Cory Butler Jr.
Bacon’s rise has been built on a body transformation as much as anything else. After entering college at 240 pounds following a senior year state championship run as a 215-pound wrestler at Kellis High School in Glendale, he spent last season trying to adapt while not quite in peak football shape.
Now he’s down to a strong, lean 235, and that change has helped unlock the traits that made him such an intriguing defensive prospect in the first place. His background in wrestling and mixed martial arts shows up everywhere on the field.
He uses strong hands, understands leverage naturally and brings a fearless edge to contact. Bacon plays with low pads, attacks ball carriers with force and stays on his feet through tackles.
He also moves well enough to close space quickly, and he’s much more comfortable in the scheme, which has allowed him to play a more reactive, dynamic style. That progress has made him one of the most improved players on the roster.
He’s competing for the fourth base-down spot in the two-deep and has the look of a future multi-year starter.
Butler’s camp was impressive in a different way. The freshman receiver arrived with a reputation as a highly underrated piece of ASU’s 2025 class, thanks to his speed, quickness, blocking ability, dependable playmaking and strong off-field profile, including a 4.5 grade-point average in high school.
He brings a skill set that draws a loose comparison to former two-year slot starter Melquan Stovall, only with a little more top-end speed. Butler was timed at 10.55 seconds in the 100 meters and 21.43 in the 200 as a high school junior, among the fastest marks by an incoming ASU player in recent decades.
Right away, though, his blocking may be what stands out most. Pound for pound, he’s one of the best blockers on the offense, and that has shown up in the alley, in the screen game and on outside runs.
In fact, his perimeter blocking helped spring more of ASU’s biggest plays from scrimmage than anyone else during camp. In a crowded receiver room, Butler has already shown he can handle a supporting role this season, with a real chance to push for a starting job as soon as next year.
In Other News...
ASU Just Took Another Hit At Cornerback Before The Season
Arizona States cornerback depth took another blow at Camp Tontozona when sophomore Nigel Pringle suffered a season-ending injury in a scrimmage, Kenny Dillingham said. Pringle had transferred in from Arkansas earlier this year and had worked his way into the cornerback rotation during spring practices and preseason camp, giving the Sun Devils another experienced option in a position group that already had some moving parts.
Pringles absence comes on top of the departure of Michigan State transfer Chance Rucker, forcing ASU to keep reshuffling the secondary this month. One of the more notable adjustments has been moving junior Antoine Belgrave-Shorter from safety to cornerback, a sign that the Sun Devils are still trying to sort out the back end before the season gets going. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona State May Be Closing In On Its QB1 Decision
The quarterback sorting at Arizona State has taken on a little extra relevance now that another major program has finally settled its own battle. Kalen DeBoer named Keelon Russell the starter at Alabama, and that kind of clarity tends to put the spotlight on the schools still waiting for an answer, including the Sun Devils. Around the sport, several power conference teams are still juggling open competitions, but Arizona State remains one of the programs without a definitive QB1 announced.
For the Sun Devils, the timing matters because the longer a decision stretches on, the more every practice rep and coach comment starts to feel like a clue. The articles read on these battles leans heavily on recent scrimmages and what coaches have been willing to reveal, which is why Arizona State fans have every reason to keep watching closely. The next hint could come at any point, and for a team trying to settle its offense, the final call would carry plenty of weight even before the opener arrives. [Read more 🡒]